Robert Griffin III Surgery Underway, Could Return In ’13

The Redskins quarterback needs total reconstruction of his right knee. The good news is he might return quicker than first expected.

The bad news coming out of D.C. Wednesday morning is that Robert Griffin III has undergone total reconstructive knee surgery. The silver lining of that news is that the dynamic quarterback could be back for the 2013 season.

Here is the report from ESPN.com:

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will undergo total reconstructive surgery of his right knee early Wednesday morning to repair torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, but he is expected to be ready for the opener of the 2013 NFL regular season, according to team sources familiar with the determination made by orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews.

The torn ACL was diagnosed late Tuesday as a complete tear of the patella graft that was used to repair Griffin's torn ACL suffered at Baylor in 2009. A team source said Andrews likely will use a patella graft from Griffin's left knee to repair the most recent tear.

Griffin's recovery is projected at six to eight months, barring any setbacks, sources said. The rehabilitation plan will focus primarily on strengthening Griffin's quadriceps to help protect and help stabilize the knee, according to sources. The reconstruction of the LCL is considered a complication, but sources said Andrews informed the Redskins it should rehab well during the same six-to-eight month time frame as the ACL injury.

Under this projected time frame of surgery, recovery and rehab, Griffin should be able to participate at some level during training camp in August and be ready to open the season in September, according to the sources.

Although Adrian Peterson came back better than ever this year following his knee surgery last season, many reporters state that two-thirds of NFL players are never the same following such a traumatic surgery. Needless to say, RGIII will be a very high risk-high reward type of player in fantasy drafts come August, just like AP before 2012 season.